The consensus is that if you’re a Chiefs fan hoping for a threepeat, it might not be good news, but if you are a fan of one of the other 31 teams, there might be hope after all.
Since 2000, 18 teams have started 6-0 or better and only one of them has won the Super Bowl, Indianapolis Colts in 2006.
The last undefeated team in each season has lost the super bowl in four of the last six seasons.
Here are the six teams to start the season 6-0 or better over the past five seasons:
No team in 2023 started the season 6-0, with both the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers making 5-0 starts before suffering losses to the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns, respectively.
However, both did make the playoffs, with the Eagles losing 32-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while the 49ers lost 22-25 in overtime to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Philadelphia Eagles – 8-0 (2022)
The Eagles looked to be the real deal in 2022. They started the season 8-0 before losing 32-21 to the Washington Commanders in week 10. Following their loss to the Commanders, the Eagles would win six of their next eight games, finishing with a record of 14-3.
The NFC’s number one seed continued to be impressive on their way to the Super Bowl too, seeping both the New York Giants and the 49ers to one side with an aggregate score of 69-14. But Philadelphia came up short in the game that mattered the most. The Eagles lost Super Bowl LVII 38-35 in what would be the start of the Chiefs’ bid for a threepeat.
Arizona Cardinals – 7-0 (2021)
Three seasons ago, the Cardinals got off to a great start. Kyler Murray and Co. started the season 7-0, beating the 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams and the Tennessee Titans along the way. However, Arizona would lose six of their next 10 games after their unbeaten start to the season. Stumbling into the playoffs after losing four of their last five games of the season.
Arizona’s 11-6 record was enough to clinch a playoff spot in the Wildcard round, but they lost to the LA Rams 34-11. The NFC West winning Rams would go on to win the Super Bowl in Sofi Stadium with a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pittsburgh Steelers – 11-0 (2020)
The Steelers came into 2020 off the back of an 8-8 season and surprised almost everyone when they started the season off with 11 wins in a row. Granted, of those 11 wins, seven were against teams under .500 but the Steelers also beat three 11-5 teams, including the Ravens twice.
After their 11-win start to 2020, the Steelers then lost four of their last five games of the season but did win the AFC North before losing 48-37 to the Cleveland Browns in the wildcard round.
San Francisco 49ers & New England Patriots – 8-0 (2019)
In 2019, both the 49ers and the New England Patriots started 8-0. The Patriots first loss of the season came at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens in a 20-37 loss, Tom Brady and the Pats would finish the season 12-4 but would lose in the wildcard round of the playoffs to the Tennessee Titans 20-13.
The 49ers first loss after their 8-0 start came against the Seattle Seahawks. The Niners finished the season 13-3 and made it to the Super Bowl after play-off wins against the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers but ultimately lost the ‘big one’ to Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Los Angeles Rams – 8-0 (2018)
The Rams were a force to be reckoned with in the 2018 season. Los Angeles scored 30+ points in the first five games of the season on their way to an unbeaten start. Even in their first loss of the season, the Rams scored 35 points but were outscored 45-35 by the New Orleans Saints.
The Rams scored 23 or more points in all but one of their games on the way to Super Bowl LIII (17/18). This made it even more surprising that the NFL’s number one offense of 2018 only managed to score three points. This came as the Rams lost the Super Bowl to Brady and the Patriots 13-3 in what is described as one of the most boring Super Bowls of all time.
